egg poacher

After seeing this on a television show, I wanted to get it and finally found it at different location of Seria.

It is supposed to make "perfect" soft poached eggs, or what Japanese call "onsen tamago"...like the photo on the package

In Japan, you often see these types of eggs served with bento or at ryokan (Japanese inn), when you crack the egg into a bowl, the soft poached egg just slips out, the whites are really soft and the yolk is oozy and they are often eaten with a shoyu based sauce.

Put the gadget into the sink, add your eggs and fill the gadget up to the line with boiling water

I tried to measure the amount of water before doing this, but it started releasing the water as I was refilling my cup...anyway, I think it uses about 4 cups of water

As soon as you put the hot water in it starts releasing the water, so make sure to put it into the sink before starting!

There is a teeny hole at the bottom that slowly releases the hot water...it takes about 13 minutes.

After the 13 minutes, remove the eggs carefully from the gadget, it's HOT!

Crack the egg, like it was raw, and it should just slip out

I think my eggs were too small or maybe the 13 minutes was too long or maybe a combination of both because I had to use a spoon to get these out of the shell. 

The yolks were not oozy like most onsen tamago I have eaten in the past.

Will need to tweak the time with the size of the eggs, I think.

But I like that you don't need to fiddle with them over the stove to poach.

The Japanese have gadgets for everything.

ps this is Made in Japan & BPA free

I think the hole is 1/10 of a centimeter

This is the inside "filter"

It is removable so you can wash it.

The poacher can hold 745 milliliters (3.14 cups)

nangokudo

I've seen these guys, usually at Tokyu Hands.

I'm not really one to sample things before buying, but the lady selling these kept putting different dried fruits into my hand...

I like that the dried fruits I purchased are "made in Japan"...Aomori apple, Setouchi lemon & orange.

Usually whenever I see dried orange, they are hard.as.rock. but these were really soft.

I chopped up some to top our oatmeal this morning.

It was delicious and a nice way to brighten up a grey morning.

How's your week going?

sakura gohan

If you've ever wanted to bring home Japan with you and like the flavor of sakura (cherry blossoms), I would suggest getting some sakura hanazuke.

It is also called sakura shiozuke.

It is hard to describe the flavor, but I can tell you it isn't like sour cherries nor American cherry flavors.

Depending on which brand you buy...the size varies and I would assume the price too.

This one cost me about 400 yen (tax included) is about 40 grams and is from Kanagawa.

The sakura is packed in salt.

Be sure to wash off the salt before using.

This is one I received from a friend a couple years back and is from Nara and was about 50 grams.

To make sakura gohan...2 servings.

1 cup rice
4-5 sakura flowers

Soak your flowers for about ten minutes to remove some of the salt.
Cook your rice according to your rice cooker.
Drain and chop up the flowers.
After the rice is cooked, add most of the chopped flowers and mix with your shamoji (rice paddle).
With the remaining chopped flowers, garnish when serving.

NOTES: The only thing about this type of sakura is that it can only be found during Spring. Most stores do not carry it year round. This recipe is super easy and a nice way to enjoy a taste of Japan's Spring.

made in japan

Since we had bought that organic green tea from the Shimabara/Nagasaki food fair, I thought it might be nicer to enjoy this ground up like matcha.

While eating the leaves after brewing was an interesting and delicious way, I feel like being able to drink it would be an easier alternative.

I bought the matcha mill by Porlex.

They are the same company that made the coffee mill that I wrote about here.

With just 1 gram of green tea.

You can make about a teaspoon or so of matcha.

The package says that 1 gram of tea will be enough for about 1 or 2 cups of matcha...

We tried some this morning with some frothed milk as a latte and think 1 gram (of tea) is enough for 1 cup rather than 2.

I still have to figure out how to get my frothed milk a little tighter...

Changing the subject...It's St. Patrick's Day and we'll probably be having canned corned beef and cabbage for dinner since I've not seen fresh corned beef here...

It's also a 3-day weekend here...though Satoshi needs to work tomorrow.

Hope you all have a nice weekend.

float lemon tea (heart)

After that krazy lunch...I went to check out the mall up the street, before catching the bus back home.

As I was wandering in my favorite knick-knack shop...I found the tea with the dried lemon hearts!

The green box has tea from Miyazaki Gokase and the red one has tea from Shimane Izumo.

The heart shaped lemon is from Hiroshima.

Brew the tea then set the dried lemon on top.

So cute!

I'm glad I found this and didn't have to enter the lottery to get them.

We're back in a cold snap the past couple of days...have a nice weekend!

float lemon tea

I think I first heard about this tea from a television program.

Mitsuura Brewery makes several types.

Even one where the lemon is formed into a heart while it is growing, sliced and then dried.

That version is only available by lottery, so I was excited to come across this when we visited Miyajima.

We happened to check out a teeny knick knack shop and the tea caught my eye.

We got the ginger version.

After brewing the tea, place the dried lemon on top of the beverage.

The lemon stays afloat while you enjoy the tea.

The tea, lemon and ginger are all made in Japan.

You can even eat the dried lemon after you finish drinking the tea because it is organic.

Different but delicious.

I'm glad we got to try this and hope to order some other items from their online shop.

muji

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, I think you know how much I love MUJI.

I recently saw this "make your own gift" can on television.

They come in 3 sizes.

The top is sealed.

You need to fill the can from the bottom.

It holds quite a bit.

They recommend not putting in anything too fragile and not over stuffing it.

Then pop the bottom on.

I decorated the can with masking tape.

Then I wrapped the plastic box with craft paper so that I could write the address on it...and sent it off.

Cool, yeah?!

p.s. Today is a National Holiday Kinro Kansha no Hi

levain

After 46 years Yamazaki, the company that used to make Ritz crackers and Oreos in Japan, parted ways with Mondelez (Nabisco's head company)!

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that the actress who normally advertises for Nabisco, was advertising a different product.

That's when I found out that Nabisco Japan products would not be made in Japan anymore.

I don't know about you, but I grew up with Ritz crackers...so many different comfort foods go well with it.

I also enjoyed the matcha oreos that the Japan factory used to make.

Since they parted ways, Yamazaki recently came out with a new brand called Levain.

Levain crackers are made in Japan, and in my opinion, taste pretty close to Ritz.

While I was bummed that Ritz and Oreos will not be made in Japan anymore, it is still being imported from its new areas of production (China, Malaysia and Indonesia), so you can still find it in the stores.

Still, I'm gonna keep an eye out for Levain and support local.

It's a 3-day weekend here, hope you have a great weekend too.

sunday dinner

Awhile back, I made mille feuille in my frying pan with a cover.

On a recent trip to visit MIL, I asked Satoshi to look for a donabe (clay pot) amongst her "stash".

She had several and Satoshi brought home this one made by Ginpo. These are made in Japan and are very sturdy (and heavy!). They hold heat well.

Last night we had mille feuille for our Sunday dinner, made in the donabe.

I had to adjust my recipe because this pot holds more liquid.

Instead of 1.5 cups of water, I used 6 cups. The flavors were a lot lighter but since Satoshi is watching his sodium, it was just right.

We had this with beer.

And at the end, I re-heated the soup, added some rice and egg to make a dish called Ojiya (which is also known as Zosui--a porridge of rice and veggies).

You might be wondering what the difference between zosui/ojiya and okayu is? Well, Okayu is just the porridge of rice (plain, if you will). Zosui/ojiya is a rice porridge that is seasoned with condiments like miso, shoyu or salt.

Dinner was easy to put together and I can see why lots of families like to make this during the winter.

I think we'll try other dishes in this donabe (clay pot) for our Sunday dinners in the coming weeks.

Have a nice week!

fun

They were having a masking tape fair at Hankyu Department store the other day...

How cute was the MINI all dressed up in the tape?!

I didn't buy any this time around, but my "stash" has grown a bit since the last time I wrote about it.

Have you tried the different masking tapes?

made in japan

We've been enjoying these dried apple slices.

The apples are from Aomori, a prefecture in Japan known for their apples. My favorite is the Fuji and these dried apples slices are just that.

I like that these slices are slightly soft and the sweetness just right.

The best part is that they are made in Japan.

What have you been enjoying these days?

made in japan

Saw these drying blocks called "soil" at a zakka (knick-knack) shop and my friend, Kazumi gave some to me recently. (Thank you!)

Just break off a square like a chocolate bar and put it into a bottle of sugar, salt, whatever you want to keep dry.

They have various sizes to fit different containers.

Oh and I like that these are made in Japan too.

dokodemo cap

What do you do when you open a package that doesn't have a "zip" type top?

Put several rubber bands around it to close it? Put a clip on it?

Well, I recently found this gadget at the 100 yen shop. And it is called the "dokodemo cap".

You may or may not know about the dokodemo door from Doraemon, a Japanese cartoon. (It is a door that allows you to go anywhere.)

This cap allows you to put a cap pretty much anywhere. The gadget itself is 3 parts, one for the inside of the bag, one for the outside and then the cap itself. Best part is that it is made in Japan.

So far, I have only used it for my rice. I swear the Japanese have gadgets for everything.

made in japan

Our electric coffee mill recently went to "coffee heaven".

I have a feeling it was because I used to wrap the cord around the mill after using it, so the connection must've gotten wonky.

Anyway, I was looking around on the internet for something "made in Japan" and came upon a manual coffee mill made in...Minoo!

From what I could tell from their site, they didn't have a mortar and brick store, only online.

(They do list the directions to their factory, though I'm not too sure if they want people coming directly.)

Since I had to go to Umeda for some other errands, I checked out some places that sell equipment for coffee.

I found it at Tokyu Hands. If you've ever visited Japan, you'll know Tokyu Hands has almost anything you're looking for.

The handle is removable, take off the cap and put your beans in the top. Grind your beans and then open up the bottom canister.

The whole thing is washable too.

The part that grinds the beans is ceramic, so don't drop it!

Love it though.

Japan Porlex
1-1-28 Kayano
Minoo, Osaka
Phone: 072.724.0250
Open Monday-Friday, 9:00-17:00

new

I got a new yutanpo (the one on the right).

It is a little "slimmer" and smaller than my old one (the one on the left).

Both were made in Japan.

I like the zip-up case (not made in Japan) for the new one, but still use the red pouch together with the zip-up because the new case is a little thin (don't wanna get burnt!).

This time around, I hope this one will last longer.

made in japan

When I think of masking tape, I see this beige tape that doesn't always stick.

Nowadays, masking tape has a new face...pretty colors, some are made of washi (Japanese paper), interesting designs.

There are many different versions out there, but a brand called "mt" (short for masking tape, I think) is made in Japan.

This was the first one that I've bought, I thought it would be nice to label some things in my pantry.

Cute, yeah?! what do you think?

made in japan

Suteteco is the Japanese word for men's long johns.

The summer version is made of thin cotton and the winter version is made of a soft wool or a thicker cotton.

Recently though, they've been trying to appeal these "pants" to the younger generations.

Jazzing it up with brightly colored fabrics making them look more "fashionable".

Anyway, we recently came across an item made in Japan called Neruteco.

Neru is the shortened name for "flannel", it also means "to sleep" in Japanese.

These pants are unisex and have definitely been keeping us warm these past nights.

How has the weather been where you are?

made in japan

The roses are in bloom again at Aramaki Rose Park, so I packed us a breakfast bento to eat at the park.

I had been seeing this foldable type of sandwich box and picked one up at the 100 yen store (which is made in Japan).

The Japanese have things down to a science, even sandwiches.

You can buy bread just the right size to fit into your sandwich box.

Bummer part is you can only buy 6 slices at a time. I hear that packaged bread in the Kanto area (Eastern Japan) comes with less slices (like 2 or 4)? While the bread in the Kansai area (Western Japan) are usually thicker sliced with max 6 slices...I've also seen types that have the crusts cut off for tea sandwiches.

Anyway, the night before I made some tandoori chicken then shredded it. In the morning I and made one sandwich with the chicken, cucumber and lettuce and the other one with the chicken, lettuce and roasted red bell pepper.

I wasn't too sure as how to pack the sandwiches into the box, since it was my first time using it.

I placed a piece of parchment paper in thinking I could put the sandwich directly in, but then wrapped each one to prevent them from drying out.

The night before I also roasted some cauliflower with some ras-el hanout. In the morning, I packed it with some cherry tomatoes, as well as some asian pear and some coffee.

This is how our breakfast picnic looked...kinda messy, yeah?! Everything was delicious though.

Not to mention we had a nice view too.

After breakfast, we folded up our sandwich box and packed everything up.

It was a great day to get out and about.